P.K. Subban said his team had only one goal in mind, right from the start.
"The message was: Do you want to just be a participant in the Winter Classic, or do you want to win it?" Subban said.
And win it the Montreal Canadiens did, absolutely taking it to the Boston Bruins with a 5-1 victory in the Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium.
Habs owner Geoff Molson and his wife thrilled with the atmosphere of the #WinterClassic. "Getting the win helped," he said @Sportsnet
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) January 1, 2016
The Canadiens players, and even head coach Michel Therrien, were clearly elated about coming out on top in the highly anticipated showdown:
"I think I even saw coach smile and that's rare during a game"-Gallagher
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) January 1, 2016
The thumbing on hockey's biggest stage undoubtedly left Boston frustrated, and it showed late in the game. Bruins tough guy Zac Rinaldo refused to let the Winter Classic end on a quiet note, throwing punches at the Canadiens players just before the final buzzer.
Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty thought the Bruins' actions were comedic.
"I love seeing that. (Matt) Beleskey skating off the ice once, chopped me. I think it's funny," Pacioretty said. "We're worried about the two points. We're not worried about getting caught up in that kind of stuff. We don't have a team with guys trying to do that or getting caught up in that stuff. We have a team that tries to play between the whistles on the ice.
"We've been coached the right way, and we've been taught to play the right way."
Pacioretty, who recorded a goal and an assist in the contest, had nothing but good things to say about his first Winter Classic experience:
“It was the best hockey experience of my life. Everything was so perfect about it." - Max Pacioretty
— Аrpon Basu (@ArponBasu) January 1, 2016
The Bruins, on the other hand, were embarrassed by the defeat.
